When Muses Live
by Omicron the IceQueen
Summary: Take a turn down a new reality, and an adventure or two will be along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**When Muses Live**

Chapter One:

...okaaaay...

_Tap. Click. Click-tap. Tap. Tap...taptap, click. Click, click, click-tap-click. Tap..._

"Blurg." I muttered and hit the left arrow key a few times, backspace, typed in an 'e' instead of an 'i.' I hesitated staring at the word on screen, my finger hovering over the 'end' key on my laptop. I made a face at the parigraph, re-reading what I just wrote and soundlessly mouthed the words.

_Whack!_

"AH!" I jumped, jarring my laptop and looking up. A just as startled bird was hopping back to its feet and flew off my car. Twitching slightly I put a hand over my chest in an attempt to get my heart to calm down.

That's what I get I guess. Sighing I sat back in my seat, reaching down and fumbled a moment to pull the lever that would let me adjust the car seat back a little. Balancing my laptop with my knees at the same I looked out at the rain and after a moment I closed my eyes. The sound of the falling drops on my little car was soothing and I took advantage of it to ease my nerves again.

I opened my eyes again and looked at the black screen in front of me. I poked the mouse pad and wiggled my finger tip on it to dispel the blackness known as a screen saver. Suddenly I giggled as the symbolism of that and what I was writing showed through.

Toa driving out the shadow sickness in a 'black Toa' that was once a Kora...Hard to write.

_Click. Clicktapclick-_

"Arh." Making a face I deleted those words since it was in the middle of another word and the sentence before poking the end key and starting again. Humming a tuneless song I got myself back into a writing zone, now only using a portion of my attention to listen to the rain. The bulk of my mind's attention was on the scene in my head, trying to get in words as much of the 'senses' as I could.

From the mixed sounds of rain (influenced some?), a distant river roar, the clang of metal on metal and screams of someone demanding freedom and promising darkness. Softer voices and a deep male bass ordering his sister to calm down so he could help her. The smell of frost and humidity that overlaid scents of flowers and grass. The haze of the rain muting and softening the edges of the armored, towering figurs. The grip of Toa holding hard onto struggling wrists, ankles and another set of white hands pressing down on a chest and middle as-

Someone screamed outside and snapped me out of my concentration.

Letting out a sound along the lines of, "Haarrrrmph..." I saved my document, closed my laptop, pulled out my jump drive so it wouldn't get hurt as I used one arm to hold the computer to me and unlocked my car door. I'll put up with my mating-season insane iguana inside, I can lock Dragon out of my room after all. As I got out I reviewed what I wrote to keep the mental image alive, trying not to keep going but have that image frozen in time.

Closing the car door I hit the button on the beeper, tested the door and turned around.

...........where did the parking lot go?

I blinked.

Turn around.

No little dark green Saturn.

Turn around again.

Yep, the rocky landscape was still there, a beach a short distance away and a mountain I didn't know behind me. No old cracked blacktop of my apartment complex's parking lot, framed by the building on one side and a row of evergreen tree on the other, that's where I was park. That's where I was a moment or two ago.

Did I just snap or something from too much thinking and writing? Was that even possible?

I closed my eyes, I didn't trust them and reached behind me. My car should be about five inches behind me as most... Nope my arm was fully stretched out and—Holyfreackingcrap! Where was my laptop?!

I looked down (no laptop) and lifted a foot.

At least I still had my flip-flops on.

"What...the hell?" I said, asked, aloud but didn't expect an answer. There was none anyways, just a whole lot of empty air and grey rocks with little puffs of grass. "Tundra?" I frowned looking around. Tilting a foot I poked around with a tow, the grass was sort and although far softer then rock it wasn't soft like it should. Or rather like it was at home, I lived in a temperate rain forest after all...

I turned slowly to look all around me, taking it all in and as I did so it was like I just became aware of the feeling of the stone I was standing on. Of the rounded cracks and unbroken parts through the thin soles of my flip-flops. The air that came into my lungs was clean and crisp like up on Mt. Baker, only it was...clean_er_. Though there was stone all around and a patch of open dirt that was clogged with grass or tiny pink flowers here and there, there was no sent of rocks and shall.

Hesitantly I took a few steps to the water that spanned out to the horizon. How far off what that again? I knew the horizon on water was closer then it was on land, since water curved with the planet. Three miles? Two? Five?

Ugh. I need to look that up.

...er...

I stopped and watched my tows wiggle for a moment trying to think of... of... bees? Quirking an eyebrow I turned to fallow the sound. Ah, there they were. On the pink flower—those aren't bees. Making an eeping sound I left the strange neon green and orange bugs with too large mandibles alone and started back to the water. Maybe there would be a sign or something.

Nope, no sign but a very large paw print of some kind. By large I meant _huge_! I've seen grizzly tracks and these put those to shame. I stood in one with feet spread and still had room to spare on either side.

That creeping feeling of icy claws crawled up my spine from the lower back to base of the neck before starting to spread. Backing up I looked around, bending my knees and rocking up the balls of my feet though not knowing why. Instinct maybe, probably really since a little voice was whispering to no go to the water where the tracks led to. I was inclined to listen to that little voice.

I didn't run though. Running was a bad thing I knew, it would possibly trigger a pred-pray response in something that wouldn't have looked twice at me.

This was really, really... I want to say weird but it was more scary, and hard to keep calm. Walking helped in that regard, and I tried to keep track of any land marks. I stopped.

A-hah!

Loose rocks!

Looking around, now alert for passable predators I bent to pick up a suitable flat rock that was about seven inches long. After placing it down several more rocks joined it until I had a nice and sturdy inucksook. Though not the most graceful, it was a little less than half my height and visible in this tundra landscape.

There, instant landmark!

And some people think these things were just decorations... idgits.

It wasn't until I stopped to look back to make sure my inucksook was still insight before poking around to make another that I realized I wasn't going in some random detection. Something was _pulling_ at me, but was infuriatingly just out of my conscious grasp of my senses.

I sat down, pulling my legs up and reaching around my knees I fiddled with my tows before poking my tattoo on my left ankle. Basically I was stalling but I didn't know what I was stalling.

Was this a dream?

I had been sprawled out on the floor of my room before Dragon had come into my room, bobbing and licking my foot one too many times. I took my laptop to the car, because it started to rain and I loved the sound of rain on a car roof. It had been a good excuse to write. I ran my right hand over the tops of the short grass, aware of the hardness I was sitting on and the cool (though not cold) air. I looked up. The sky was far from clear but the clouds were white and stretched thin, not bunched up high and dark with forming rain.

I didn't need to but I did bite my lower lip. This was too real to be a dream, besides if it was it meant I was collapsed in the parking lot.

So...now what?


	2. Chapter 2

**When Muses Live**

Chapter Two:

Toned down for a moment

Did I squeak?

Oh dear god I did... I hope it wasn't very loud, I flattened myself with my back to the rock I had just peered around.

I think I was going to have a heart attack.

Not because of the sight of a giant, white armored and biomechanical being, but that was admirably a heart attract worthy. I meant literally though. I clutched at my chest and tried not to gasp out loud. Too many things were happening at once, pilling on top of each other. Not in the least of those things were that I was not myself.

Well, psychically I mean.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, feeling metal that wasn't really metal. It's hard to describe, it was not unlike foil really, but it was admirably freaky since I could feel my body changing.

Not good.

I didn't know what was going on, didn't have a clue and I want to go back home! I scooted sideways, to my right and as I came near the edge of the oblong bolder rock thing, I peeked around again. No stark white giant, granted I saw him from behind at first so I have no idea where he went.

...yeah, time to go.

I was normally good at sneaking, but with a body that was suddenly not behaving normally, nor sounding right... true sneaking wasn't quite possible. I tired though, I also tried not to breath loudly. It was possible you know, you just had to have good control and breathe _slowly_.

Dear god I was failing in my attempt at sneaking...I just tripped up. This was cliché and that rock was evil! …Ow.

Looking around, and then up since I know humans lack the 'look up' instinct for whatever reason. I really don't want to let that be the end of me. My bones felt like they were trying pull apart and reform in a different way, I was an adult; I shouldn't have growing pains any more! Though granted this wasn't quite like true growing pains, it happened to be the closest thing I had to a comparison.

I have suffered in silence for a lot of things but this was _hard_, but helped I could be as stubborn as my mom. I managed to 'sneak' back to the place I first found those flower and strange bug things, I could tell because a nearby plant was in the shape of a 'Q,' and my first inucksook was behind me. See? Those things do come in handy!

"Now what?" I asked one of the freaky looking 'bees.'

They ignored me.

Well, not that I minded but really, all alone in some strange place (world?) I just saw and real freaking, honest to god giant and no way home. On top of that my body was changing in a way it had no right to do! Thus, it would be nice to get some sort of comfort, than again if one or more of those 'bugs' started randomly talking with those mandibles I may just scream.

"Aaaahhrrrr, my back." I muttered, aware that I sounded like my grandmother.

Okay, first order of business: Shelter. Scratch that, first order of business: Stay calm. I've been doing pretty good with that so far I think. Second order of business: Shelter. I looked back the way I just came from, the image of the half cloaked twenty four or five foot...something and really debated on going back that way. I don't think I will.

I turned and started off in the other direction, going from memory when I stood on a bolder, before noticing the physical changes and seeing the big-guy before he saw me. There was another cluster of rocks and closer to the water, what _looked_ like a stream. I was going to take my chances this way...

...If I can make it over that way, every few steeps something like a cramp dug into my gut. It wasn't like the cramps a woman gets during her period, and I knew that feeling all too well thank you very much. It pays to have inherited stubbornness from both parents, though I think the cursing came from my biological father.

...

"Weeee." I muttered ever so energetically as I sighed and propped my chin on the heal of my right palm staring at the water, rocks and tundra beyond from my new and slightly higher vantage point. I don't slagging believe it, well I _do_ since the evidence has so effectively and powerfully slapped me in the face with a wet fish. As the saying went.

Shock was the key word here of what was going here on mentally. I think, pretty sure.

"Holy crap!"

Ah, there's the shock being expressed vocally. To further add to the affect I waved my arms and lifted my leg. Just for effect but I lost my balance and fell over backwards with a yelp and slid down the long tube...no _canister_.

Great now I'm stuck in here.

Wait, let me clear this up of where 'here' is for me. Basically as I was wondering around and getting lost despite making another inucksook when I stumbled across what had seemed like a part of a large culvert stick up out of the beach. You know, it was about the same color of cement and tube shaped, they go under roads so streams can keep flowing without destroying the road or the stream. Of course I had to investigate, pains or not, I mean you don't just go right past something that _big_ and _right there_ without poking it at least.

It turned out to be more than half berried at what I guessed what was the storm line on the 'beach,' far above the high tide line. There was a lid to boot and it wasn't a culvert chunk, but a canister, in the perfect shape that I had see in some pictures and a few videos. I managed to climb up on the lower rim to get a look around.

At least I know where I was, as impossible as it should be. Where was I? Currently stuck inside what I would bet my whole paycheck was a Toa canister. Even though there was still a great big part of my mind screaming at the top of its metaphorical lungs '_Not! Possible!_' I was inclined to believe it was. Being half upside down at the bottom of what I was pretty sure _was_ a Toa canister/pod was pretty good evidence…

And…

…and that giant…

What was my size scale of things with Bionicle again?

I said a bad word, or two.

If whatever, _whoever_ I saw earlier was in face who I was wondering. I cocked my head at the round opening, than squinted my eyes at the dark blue sky beyond. But nope it still didn't make an ounce of sense, yet now that there wasn't panic clouding judgment... The being I had seen, even with its grey cape like thing had been mostly white in color that I had seen.

As I righted myself at long last I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have run away. He, if it was who I thought it was, had been so _big_! I would guess about twenty six or so feet tall, I was better at judging distance than height for some reason... yet it wasn't just the tallness, but the sear mass with broad shoulders and chest for the body shape that I saw.

I winced and curled up partly as another 'cramp' hit. Grinding my teeth together I straightened out my spine again, and then spread out arms and legs to see it I could climb up. After sliding back down the fifth time I sat cross legged and glared at the walls. They were too far apart to let me brace against them... Hmm.

The walls were more metal like then stone/cement. I took off my sandals and tossed them almost half way up, only to razz at them as they stayed in place this time. Huffing at the unfairness I started climbing up, using bare skin to 'stick' to the metal. I got up a few body lengths before slipping and falling, or rather sliding back down right back to where I started.

"And I'm at the storm line not high tide." It would be so much easier to let this thing flood and float up, really it would, I can tread water for over ten minutes. Dive Master swim tests baby, we did odd lots of swim tests (have to be able to save students you know).

A distinct, if distant roar sounded in the gathering darkness outside.

Umm…I think I'll stay in here for the night. I did stay, couldn't get out, and after a while started to cat nap. I must have fallen asleep because I jerked awake as something wrapped around my torso and lifted up. Predictably, I screamed and flailed.

I didn't know I could hit that pitch.


	3. Chapter 3

When Muses Live

Chapter Three:

Monsters, Snow and Shiny things

Kopaka had forgotten what a truly scare Matoran was like: Spasnedic and prone to _much_ flailing around. This was also the first time in a long time that a Matoran was scared of _him_. That hadn't happened since Kopaka had first arrived and he was an unknown white giant.

He'd glimpsed the Ga-Matoran a few time in his Rahi hunt looking more than a little lost. So after chasing off said Rahi, Kopaka started looking for the Matoran. She was no great talent at hiding her trial, and the few time She was hopping on rock Kopaka got the impression it was for fun more than anything. He found even the most stern Matoran was prone to bouts of random playfulness in one form or another.

Kopaka back tracked the trail when it crossed, the fresher trail lead off in the directed of his old Toa canister (Kopaka had guessed right in thinking the Matoran would be attracted to it) so he back-tracked the original trial. At the end (or start depending on how one looked at it) was an odd, spherical pod, Kopaka dragged it well above the high-tide mark for Nuju to look at later. Then it was back to tracking.

Kopaka was right, the Ga-Matoran had gone to investigate the canister that he had arrived on Mata Nui in... and the girl somehow ended up _in_ the canister, and being so small fallen into a nap, it was dark out and in a way much safer in the Toa canister than outside or it.

So Kopaka reached in, half climbed in really, planning on bringing the girl back up to Ko-Koro and if need be escort her to the capable care of his water-sister Gali. A few things were discovered at the same time, One: Ga-Matoran were lighter sleepers than Ko-Matoran and didn't like being woken up by a large hand picking them up. Two: Ga-Matoran not only had large lunges for holding their breath underwater, but could also be _very_ vocal if need be. Three: This wasn't a normal Matoran. A Matoran for sure, Kopaka could sense that, but at first it looked like the poor girl had suffered a back injury like Pohatu that healed wrong. It wasn't, it was something else entirely.

Worried, but annoyed at the spazzing Kopaka pulled the oddly shaped Matoran within the shelter of his arms (he was now standing back up). Grasping part of the cloak, he used it to defuse his outline when out of the snowy regain, with one hand and wrapped it around her. This all took almost ten seconds from when the Toa reached down to using his cloak as an improvised blanket.

"That is enough." Kopaka said and was relieved that the girl stopped. Wide-eyed, stiff and clingy but hopefully calming down. "That is better. I would never hurt a Matoran little one."

The Ga-Matoran gave a squeak, in her position able to feel the words as much as hear them. Kopaka gave her the time to work up her nerve standing still until two green eyes warily peered over the edge of the cloak. After a moment of fixed, unblinking staring she said something that was muffled.

Kopaka Tilted his head slightly in interest, it almost sounded like the word 'Toa.'

'Holly craaaaaaaaap!' was the primary, and loudest thought in my head as I peeked out of the relative safety I was in. Well, I had to poke my new head out from between the cap/cloak edges to see where we were going. I lasted all of 6.3 seconds staring at the oncoming 'wall' of a storm before ducking back in the (slightly) warmer embrace of the Toa.

He chuckled, "It will not reach us little one."

I peeked back out, tilted my head to look at Kopaka's face as best I could from this angle. I gave another involuntary squeak as the Toa tightened his grip on me. I looked back to the seem to be white out at the same time Kopaka's chest expanded behind me as he inhaled deeply.

A high sound came from the Toa that was at first like a whistle but rose in tone and pitch to something as strange as it was full of an untamed _power_.

I shivered, and not just from the increasing cold the farther and higher we went. I watched as the avalanche looking blizzard that was about to hit us suddenly loose stream as if a switch was flipped to the 'off' position and spluttered. By the time it 'hit' us the once storm was once pathetic wisps of trailing snow and air.

Kopaka started walking as I sat there in his arms and gaped.

Now maybe I should explain a few things, the foremost is that I have a new body. Yes you heard me right: a new body. I had a new, partly (half) mechanical body. Oh, I had my freak out for sure, but it had been mostly mental. Physically I was clinging like a leach to a bleeder to Kopaka's forearm.

After a while I did calm down, I had to quiet trying to sort out _why_ I was suddenly an 'odd Matoran' as I was called by the Toa. But a combination of still being dark, the rhythmic movement of the Toa walking and the 'curtain' of the cloak as well as the arms holding me gave a sense of security against the outside darkness.

Actually, the main reason I was putting a leach to shame was because not ten minutes after I was 'saved'/found a... well, I don't know what else to call it but 'monster.' It was big, bigger that Kopaka to give you an idea, and full of fangs and claws.

I'm not entirely sure of the details of what happened after our discussion-

("Holy cheese you're _huge!_"

"Yes I am."

"Why are you so big!"

"I am a Toa, and you are Matoran."

"...Did you know you have claws?"

"Yes, and so do you do little one."

"I do?"

"Yes."

"...whoa...")

-because Kopaka had thrust me back into the tube and flipped the cloak over that. Thus blocking out what little light there was. As the sounds of what had to be a fight went on outside, I scrambled around in the dark for something. Anything!

Ah-HAH!

I clutched a long seashell from the far back that had a pointy end, just as everything went still and when the cloak was removed I threw my shell. Said shell hit something white and bounced back into the inside of my table, it slid down to stop against my now dark colored and metal foot. I sighed, that was a fail.

"Not the most effective." The Toa's voice was deep yet soft at the same time somehow, just like before. He knelt down and one blue/white eye and a red optic look in on me.

I debated throwing the shell again but that would be pushing my luck. I squished as far back as I could with the shell between me and the white giant eased himself in part way. He should have blocked out the moon light but seemed to reflected it instead. The white almost glowing in the darkness...no wonder he had a cloak on, he must standout something horrid.

This time I wasn't swooped up like before (that was _not_ a good way to wake up from a nap people!) but the large, claw tipped hand stopped short, palm up. I had the impression that he was offering this time.

"Come little one, I will bring you somewhere safe." Kopaka had said, and between being stuck in a tube with monsters outside and someone who was supposed to be a protector...

I scooted closer and let him pick me up. The size scale between the two of us was nearly staggering, I was like a child in his arms. He only had braced me against his chest with one forearm as the Toa swung his shield over and settled it with an audible 'click/clunk' sound.

I leaned forward as far as I dared and caught a glimpse of something large and shinny from something like crystal before the cloak came next, blocking out the night world and sudden chill.

When I got the nerve up to peek out for the first time I nearly fell but Kopaka (he'd finally said his name at this point) in a way that was disturbingly like how I used to hold my baby nieces.

This is when I found out I had funny legs, then started to realize other things. The strangest thing wasn't so much the changes but the fact that I _hadn't noticed_ until about now-ish after the storm. I had been moving as if I had always been like I was.

This was more than a little strange, but when I dwelled on it to much it just made less and less sense.

Uhg-

Ooo... I see something glowing above me... heheheh...Shinny!


End file.
